


An Important Distinction

by DefinitelyNotScott



Category: League of Legends
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Background Katarina/Garen, Background Lore 1.0 Assumptions, Based on a Tumblr Post, Boat Sharing, F/M, Talon POV, They're probably around college age but they aren't doing anything college related, Which I had never heard of until the previously mentioned post, phone conversation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-08
Updated: 2017-11-08
Packaged: 2019-01-31 00:00:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,034
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12664128
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DefinitelyNotScott/pseuds/DefinitelyNotScott
Summary: Katarina convinces Talon to invite Lux to "Sailing Under the Stars." When Talon is vague Lux tries to clarify exactly what type of event he's inviting her to attend.





	An Important Distinction

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [This post was my introduction to the term "Boat Sharing"](https://archiveofourown.org/external_works/335727) by Copperbadge. 



“There, see?” Katarina said. “That wasn’t so bad, was it?”

Talon kept his eyes on his feet as they walked down the dock. “It was all right, I guess.” He had been extremely dubious about taking part in a rich-person activity like “Boat Sharing”, but tagging along with Kat had ended up being kind of fun.

“Fast boats are just like fast cars, except you’re more likely to drown than burn.” She sounded smug. Her fake statistics made him cock his head and narrow his eyes at her, but she only laughed at his sour expression. “Only you would be grumpy after a day of fun out on the water.”

Talon grunted in reply. He wasn’t _grumpy_.

“You know…” Katarina said, and the hairs on the back of his neck stood up. He looked at her, the corners of his lips pulled down by suspicion. She grinned back at him, her hands casually tucked into her back pockets. _Too_ casually - Katarina liked her hands free.

“I think I saw a poster for an event coming up at the marina - ‘Sailing Under the Stars’ or something. I’m a little rusty on sailboats, but if speedboats aren’t your thing, you might be into it. You should invite Lux. I bet yachting is just the sort of old-fashioned pastime the Crownguards are into.” She maintained eye-contact through the entire rote little speech.

“Uh-huh,” Talon said, making sure she could see how unimpressed he was. But he didn’t object to playing along a _little_ bit. “And even if she _does_ decide to help me out, why do you think I’m interested in Garen breathing down my neck the whole time?

“Don’t worry,” Katarina said, placing one hand on his shoulder and leaning in confidentially. “Just tell her he’s invited too, and I’ll keep him busy.” She smirked, possibly without realizing it.

Talon snorted, shrugging her hand off. “Why am _I_ in charge of inviting your boyfriend over?”

“He’s not my _boyfriend_!” Katarina said, immediately contradicting herself by continuing, “Besides, you know they’re both more likely to come if you’re the one to ask Lux.”

Talon rolled his eyes, but he was already pulling out his phone. “Just for you,” he lied, flicking through his contacts to find Lux. “When is it?”

“August fourth,” she said immediately - with a lot more confidence than someone who “thought” she’d seen a poster.

Talon slowly looked up from his phone to meet her eyes, and held them a second before responding, “Right.”

It was Katarina’s turn to roll her eyes, and she grinned while she flipped him off. 

“Just call her, asshole,” she said, still grinning.

Talon looked back down at his phone to hide the way his lips were trying to curl into a smile. He tapped the Call button, and put it to his ear, looking back up at Katarina to watch her reactions.

The phone rang twice and then Lux picked up. “Hey Talon! What’s up?”

“Hi, Lux. Are you free on the fourth? There’s a Boat Sharing thing,” he raised his voice because Katarina was making disgusted faces and he wanted to preemptively drown her out. “...if you’d like to join us.” He left out the part about Garen being welcome, partly to yank Katarina’s chain, partly because he thought it would flow more naturally if one of the Crownguards suggested it.

“Oh, my _god_ ,” Katarina hissed in an undertone. “Talon. Boat sharing is how we _get the boat_ , not the _event_!” 

Talon ignored her.

“Sure!” Lux said, her cheerful voice carrying to Kat, who pumped her fist in celebration. 

“Just to be clear, which type of boat sharing is it?” she added, before he could move on.

“The... kind with boats?” He looked down dubiously at his phone.

“I figured that, silly,” she said, laughter hovering at the edge of her voice. “But which _kind_ is it?”

Talon looked to Katarina, trying to convey that he needed help without looking helpless, but she, too, had a puzzled expression. 

“Uhhh…” he said into the phone, circling his hand in a “come on” gesture. This was Kat’s stupid plan, she’d better not leave him high and dry here. Though it looked like she was about to.

“Then what’s Kat planning to wear?” Lux asked after he tapered off into silence. He’d always liked the way she calmly tried to work her way around any problems that arose. He found he didn’t like it so much when _he_ was the problem. “I assume you mean Kat when you say ‘we’.”

“Yeah, it’s Kat,” he said, trying to buy time while Katarina stared blankly at him, apparently even more confused than he was. “Um.” He grimaced, and gestured more vehemently. 

Kat finally snapped out of her momentary lapse. “Jeans. A blouse. Deck shoes,” she rattled off. Her brow wrinkled, and she cocked her head, looking at him quizzically. 

He threw his free hand up in the air in an exaggerated shrug. How was _he_ supposed to know? Hopefully Lux had caught the list. He’d tilted the phone Kat’s direction, but…

“Okay. Traditional boat sharing.” Lux sounded amused. 

Talon let out a sigh of relief. _Finally._ He still hadn’t mentioned inviting Garen, but by this point he just wanted _out_ of this conversation. No doubt Garen would do the work for him 

“Time?” 

“Uh.” He looked back at Katarina. She held up seven fingers. “Seven.”

“Great! I’ll see you at the marina! Was there anything else?”

“What the hell other type of Boat Sharing is there?” he blurted before he could stop himself.

“Well,” she said, voice prim. He could almost _hear_ her drawing herself up. “Some BDSM clubs meet on boats, to avoid legal issues, and one term for it is ‘boat sharing’. Does that answer your question?”

“Uhhh, yeah.” Now he had _new_ questions.

“Alrighty, then. Bye-bye!” she chirped, and hung up before he could voice any of them.

Talon stared at the Call Ended screen before looking up to Katarina. “What the hell? Since when does _Luxanna Crownguard_ know about BDSM Boat Clubs?”

Katarina smirked. “I’m more interested in the fact that she said yes _before_ asking which type it was.”

Talon almost dropped his phone in the water.


End file.
